The Ultimate Sacrifice
by Lucifers Fire
Summary: Life doesn't always go the way you want, even when you do everything right. Ichigo knew that too well, he learned it the hard way and took the hardest decision of his life, to leave his family and find himself again


Hello people! Yes I know I know I should be working on Change and fix the messed up relationship there. But what can I do? Inspiration struck me to finish this little project that racked my brain for a couple of months and now here we are.

To all the IchiHime shippers out there, I apologize but I had to create this and I love it! I have nothing against the ship whatsoever! But I ad to create this!

Without any delay...Here we go!

Ten years have passed. Ten years since the war ended, Yhwach defeated and life went back to normal. Ishida ran the hospital in his dad's place, Sado was winning a title after the other and Ichigo took over the clinic as his dad roamed the world, saying he did his parental duty turning his young kids to strong and independent women and man.

Ichigo lived in the same house with Orihime and their son Kazui, a couple of years after the war they got married and not long after their little family got a new member that was a little ball of sunshine, capturing the hearts of whoever met him.

Life was good, everything was in place, his family and friends were safe and happy. And yet, that void, that empty feeling the ginger felt never went away. He thought it was loneliness at first since it disappeared whenever Orihime was around, it disappeared for a while or so he thought. It was masked with the affection and love the girl gave him, but after so many years it came back, slowly growing till it took over him.

But he ignored it and lived with his family, devoted and faithful to the last bit. Even though he finished his work for the day he sat at his desk holding his hands together with his head resting on them as if he was praying even though he wasn't. He was gathering his strength to have his smile on before seeing Kazui who was at school all day and Orihime who spent her day taking care of the house, preparing delicious meals for them. Her cooking has improved a lot from her weird recipes she used to cook in high school.

With that same smile plastered on his face he went inside the house and to the kitchen to place a kiss on Orihimes lips which she gladly returned. "Dinner will be ready soon Kurosaki-kun, go wash up" She chirped happily. He nodded and headed to the bathroom upstairs, changing into more comfortable clothes before going to the bathroom to wash his hands and face.

He splashed cold water on his skin, letting it ease down the burning warmth he felt and looked up at the mirror, watching how the droplets collected on his chin before they fell one by one. He was mesmerized by them, feeling that each droplet was a part of his soul that was torn away without the chance of it ever returning to make him whole again. He shook his head, ran a hand through his hair trying, it was shorter now, making it easier to control. He went down stairs to be met with Kazui pushing him to the ground with the tightest hug the little boy could manage. Bear hugs ran in the family as it seemed.

He held the little boy in his arms and went back to the kitchen putting him in his chair before sitting himself. He listened to Kazui talking about his day, chirping like a little bird that just learned to sing about all the great things they did, and he listened, he listened to every word he said with a wide smile on his lips. But as time passed that smile soon faded and his face turned to an expressionless one, the voices of the two he cherished the most were tuned out and sounded like background noise, like turning on the TV when you're home alone so you won't feel alone.

"Kurosaki-kun...Kurosaki-kun. Ichigo" Hearing his name from Orihime pulled him back to the real world "Uh- I'm sorry Inoue I must've spaced out, I'm kind of sleepy so I'll head up stairs first" he kissed both their foreheads before going upstairs to collapse on the bed, his arm beneath his head spacing out again, staring at the ceiling.

He was pulled out of his lost world again after some time with the soft click of the door and Orihime calling his name, but this time her tone was softer, like a siren singing for the sailor men, drawing them to her trap, he knew that tone too well, until recently he was mesmerized by it. If she was an actual siren she would've been the death of him with that tone.

He looked down from the ceiling to see her in a skimpy night gown, made of some pink lacey material that left so little to the imagination. The pink of the fabric complimenting her complexion and the faint blush that dusted her cheeks, her perky nipples visible beneath the gown, adding the way she pushed her breasts together and the fact she shyly hid her womanhood with one hand was bound to drive any man crazy. He sat up taking a better look at her "Wow..." was the only thing the ginger could mutter, she looked like she was glowing in that gown and the faint light in the room.

She walked up to the bed and slowly climbed his lap pushing him softly back to the mattress, pressing her lips gently along his neck to his ear "My husband is working very hard these days, he deserves a reward to help him relax" she purred seductively. His breathing got heavier as she kissed him more, lightly rubbing herself against him to excite him more, his hands went under the gown tracing her creamy soft skin. He was slowly melting under her touch, her smoky voice as she sweet talked him with all the pleasure she is gonna give him sparked the desire in his body to her warn and loving touches.

His body responded with kind at first, kissing her back, sucking gently at that spot that made her squeal, her touches earning a rise out of him. But soon the unwanted thoughts resurfaced again undoing all the magic she worked on him. He tried to ignore it and continued what they started, it worked for the past few months and his façade went on undetected. It didn't work this time though, the disappointed look he received from his wife when she reached her hand into his pants to find him flaccid felt like a thousand knives piercing him at once. She looked at him with pleading eyes waiting for an answer as this have never happened before. "I-I'm sorry Inoue I'm really tired and...I'm sorry" he sat up awkwardly pulling himself away from her while she sat back looking at him.

"Is it just that you're tired or is there something you're not telling me?" Orihimes ability to pick up on people emotional distress was always on point. He squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose "It's nothing Inoue I'm just really tired" He got up from the bed and opened a window needing to breathe while her eyes were fixated on the print of his body left on the mattress. "Ichigo..." Her voice was small but it was enough to make the ginger feel like a rock crashed on his head. She never used his first name, not unless it was something serious, it was her way of telling him this was something to not take lightly "Am I not pretty anymore? Don't you love me?" She could feel the tears sting the sides of her eyes but she held them back, her eyes focused on that same space.

Ichigo looked at her with wide eyes "No Inoue! This has nothing to do with you. You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and I love you beyond anything in life"

"Then why would this happen! You've been distant too, don't think I haven't noticed. If this has nothing to do with me then why is all this happening?" She looked at him with glossy, tear filled eyes waiting for an answer.

"Because I'm not happy!" He spoke out finally. The dam was filled to the brim and he couldn't act anymore, he couldn't stop the pouring of words that escaped his mouth "I haven't been happy in a long time, but I made you a promise to make you happy and give you, give us a home together but I can't do this anymore. I'm suffocating every single day and I don't know what to do. There is no one I can ask for help because no one can. It's my issues and I have to go through by myself"

She stood in front of him clutching his shirt, blinking the tears from her eyes as she spoke "But that's what I'm here for. To help you through this, you're not alone Kurosaki-kun. I love you; you're mine as I am yours"

He looked at her crying face, trying to calm his racing heart, to find the best way to deal with his feelings, or the lack of them in this case. "I'm sorry Inoue but I need my own time away" he unclenched her hands from his shirt and attempted to walk way but she stopped him again by clutching his sleeve "What about Kazui? What about me? How are we gonna live without you?" more tears went down her cheeks, she was willing to do anything to make him stay with her.

"I'm sorry Inoue please understand, I need my time alone, I'll sleep downstairs tonight" he pulled his hand from her and went downstairs letting his body fall on the couch, sighing in defeat as the guilt of what just happened and the exhaustion of his act took over him. As much as he wanted to sleep his pain away, his eyes wouldn't shut for a second. Even sleep was against him.

A few hours passed and no sleep touched his face, he got up to stretch his aching muscles before going through with his plan. He went first to Kazuis room, looking at his sleeping face made his decision feel a million times worse. He was his little ball of sunshine, the apple of his eye and yet that didn't help cure the numbness that took over his entire existence.

With a tear rolling down his cheek and a kiss placed on the little boy's forehead Ichigo left the room to his and Orihimes bedroom. He could see the dried tears on her cheeks as she slept with a painful and restless expression. Even though he hated himself for doing this but he needed to do something to fix his life, staying in the same daily life that suffocated him didn't help, which lead him to this point.

He stood at the front door, taking one last look, the memories of everything that happened in this house passed in front of him before he closed the door with a soft click. With a small duffle bag on his shoulder he wandered the streets unsure what to do or where to go. He couldn't go to any of their friends knowing Inoue would find him. After a long hour of thinking and aimless walking he went to the airport, maybe flying somewhere distant and isolated was a good place to start.

After paying the cab driver he stood in front of the big screen that showed the several destinations of flights all around the world. He was lost on where to go, so many interesting places he wanted to visit and yet in that moment they all seemed dull. He wasn't sure if he should leave the country or just go to the country side. He was distracted from his thoughts by a flash of blue hair that passed in front of him. "Is that..." He whispered and followed the man and grabbed him by the shoulder "Grimmjow what are you..." He trailed off when he saw that it wasn't the blue head he had in mind. "I-I'm sorry! I thought you were someone else" the man turned to leave with an annoyed grumble about how he was about to miss his flight.

Ichigo stood in place completely lost; he looked around trying to figure out where that thumping sound came from before he realized it was his heart beating so hard that he could hear it. He found an empty chair and sat on it taking deep breaths to calm himself down. Why did his heart beat so fast like this? He hasn't thought about the blue head, or any of the people living in Hueco Mondo in years.

After defeating Yhwach and before he left to the world of the living, he looked for Grimmjow to say goodbye but was informed by Nelliel that he had already left. He smiled remembering the green haired female, having her around was a delight.

He looked up at the screen with the destinations feeling at loss again. The memory of his friends in Hueco Mondo made his decision easier. He wanted to disappear anyway so why not in a different dimension? He went to the bathroom to be away from any prying eyes and after making sure no one was there he opened a garganta, a skill no one knew he mastered and hoped in. As he paved his way to the other opening his mind wandered back to his last meeting with the blue head.

He wondered if they would look any different since the last time they met. Being lost in thought he didn't notice when he was at the other end, the trip through was shorter than he remembered. With a stumble he hopped down in front of the doors of Las Noches, he looked over the huge white palace smiling to the memories he had in this place, both good and bad things happened there.

He barely took two steps forward only to be tackled down to the ground, something soft and big pressed against his face "Itsygoooo" the woman hugged him tightly almost squeezing out the air from his lungs. "Nel...can't...breathe" he tried to push her off but she somehow had so much power he couldn't break free until she let him go "I'm so glad you came to visit. I missed you so much Itsygo" she chirped and he smiled back "I missed you too Nel. How have you been?"

"I have a lot to tell you but first you have to meet the Queen" She took his hand leading him through the long huge doors and hallways of the palace to the throne room where Hallibel was sitting gracefully on her high throne. She stood up and descended from the stairs to meet the ginger "What brings you here Shinigami?" Even though her voice was serious it didn't have a threatening edge to it, it had an amused one as a matter of fact.

"Hello Hallibel or should I call you Queen? I ugh- needed some time away from my life and thought I would come to visit" he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, wondering if this was a good idea now that he was here. "You are always welcome here Shinigami you can stay as long as you want"

"Just call me Ichigo" He smiled at her "Thank you for the hospitality" He couldn't see the lower half of her face but he had the feeling she was smiling at him. "I'll have one of the maids escort you to your chamber while you stay here" He was surprised to hear they had maids, he opened his mouth wanting to thank her again but was cut off by a husky voice sending a shiver down his spine "I'll take him there, he will scare them away with his bright hair"

Ichigo turned slowly to look at the mighty Sexta, standing tall as always, his dark blue eyes shining brightly, his hair as blue as the sky on clear day "Your hair is longer" He commented on his new hair style, it wasn't that different from the one he had before, a bit longer in the back with the bangs falling to cover his eyes partially. "And yours is shorter" He countered to the short hair cut Ichigo had.

The ginger unconsciously ran his hand through his hair and gave him a small smile. "Follow me" he gave a nod to Tia who nodded back before turning to lead the way to Ichigo's chamber. Ichigo bowed and thanked her again before following the blue head "I'm coming too" Nel chirped and walked out with the two males "Why do you have to tail me on everywhere I go" Grimmjow complained walking ahead of the two.

She proceeded to say something about how annoying he was while he grumbled something about her being a nuisance pushing her away from him. Ichigo watched the interaction, chuckling lightly to how childish they were. Never in his life he thought the panther would act childish or to have any emotions except the serious ones. They stopped at a crossroads and Nelliel hugged him again "Go get some rest, I'll see you soon"

After she left, Ichigo looked at the blue head who looked him up and down before walking ahead. The ginger watched his back as they walked; the blue strands brushed a bit on his shoulders and neck. Not much has changed about him, his form strong and muscular, his attitude high and mighty and his eyes sharp observing everything carefully.

A few minutes later Grimmjow stopped in front of a big door "This is where you will be sleeping; the maids will drop off your meals through the day other than that no one will bother you. My chamber is down that hallway in case you need anything but its better that you don't" he turned to leave but was stopped by the gingers voice "Thanks Grimmjow"

The panther eyed him over his shoulder "Don't mention it" he walked away and soon disappeared from sight. The ginger stayed in his place until he couldn't see him anymore. He pushed through the big doors into the chamber; it was quite big with a large bed, a closet, dresser, sofa and a table with 2 chairs. Not to mention the bathroom attached to the space with a huge bathtub. He couldn't help but smile as he dropped the duffle bag and laid on the bed, testing the softness of the mattress, smiling when he found it to his liking.

With getting little to no sleep he decided to get some now and slid under the covers. Being exhausted he didn't even care to change his clothes and laid face down into the soft pillow. As his mind drifted to sleep a head full of blue hair popped into his head making him smile before unconsciousness took over.


End file.
